Coal cleaning apparatus



June 1, 1937. K. PRINS I I COAL CLEANING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 15, l935 Patented June I, 1937 Lil ' rrso STATES mag-1st PATENT OFFICE ooAL memo APPARATUS Kl mus, Chicago, Ill.

Application any 15, 1935, Serial No. 31,421'

9 Claims.

My invention relates .to cleaning apparatus adapted particularly for cleaning coal by the separation of refuse matter therefrom, but which may be used with equal emeiency for the separation of metals from ores or gangue.

An important object of the invention is to provide a procedure in which the raw material is fed to a comparatively rapidly flowing stream of water, with a portion of the stream primarily directed through the material for preliminary gravity and buoyancy dilation and separation and stratiflcation, and the continuation of the lighter material with the water stream, and separation and withdrawal of the heavier materialfrom the stream and flow thereof in reverse direction to a discharge point, the lighter material discharging with the stream into a receiver where the water is withdrawn therefrom.

A further object is to provide a trough shaped container through which the water stream is directed and to which the raw material is fed, and which container is subjected to vibratory movementsto facilitate stratification and separation and to impart movement to the heavier material toward the discharge point in addition to the movement of the heavier material by gravity so that withdrawal of the heavier material from the trough is accurately and quickly accomplished.

A further object is to provide for pulsion and recession flow of water through the mass to increase the separation and stratification movements and for the flow in opposite direction of the lighter material and the heavier material.

Another object is to provide simple and eificient means for making adjustments for the. desired movement of the water and the vibratory movement of the container trough.

The above enumerated and other features of my invention are incorporated in the structure disclosed on the drawings, in which drawings;

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a section on plane 11-11 of Figure'l; Figure 3 is a section on plane III-III of Figure 1;

The structure shown on the drawings comprises a tank I0 of oblong rectangular shape having the bottom H sloping downwardly to the refuse outlet l2. The outlet communicates with a conveyor housing l3 in which suitable conveyor mechanism I4 is operated to receive the discharged refuse material and convey it to a suitable point of deposit, provision being made so that the conveyor housing is'sealed against the escape of water. I

Within the tank id is the trough structure 85 on which is of gen oblong shape and of rec- (Cl. Mill-156) tangular cross-section. The trough is suspended for combined longitudinal and vertitcal reciproeating movement, suspension links it hung from cross shafts i? on the tank receiving the outer journalled having eccentric or crank sections 28 for receiving-eccentric straps or heads 22 on connecting rods 23 which rods connectwith the outer ends of one of the trough shafts 8'8 so that y when the shaft to is turned the trough will be reciprocated. An electric motor M mounted on the tank at any suitable location is connected by belt 25 with the belt wheel 25 on the eccentric or camshaft and furnishes the power for controlling the reciprocation of the trough. The link supporting shafts I? extend through arcuate slots 26 in the-side walls of the tank so that the angularity of the links relative to the connecting rods 23 may be adjusted for the desired horizontal and vertical components of reciprocation movement of the trough, the shafts i! being secured in adjusted position by means of nuts 27 engaging'the reduced threaded outer ends thereof to clamp the shafts to the tank side walls after adjustment thereof.

In the structure shown on the drawings the left end of the trough will be referred to as the inlet end and the right end thereof will be referred to as the outlet end. At its inlet end and at the lower corner thereof the trough has the water inlet neck or frame 28 which extends the full width of the trough and defines a diagonally extending water passage into the trough. The

rough end wall 29 above the inlet neck slopes gradually downwardly and inwardly to form a guide surface or apron for the raw material, such as raw coal, to be washed, the raw material being delivered by a suitable chute 3d.

The bottom wall 2! of the trough slopes gradually downwardly toward the entrance end of the trough to meet the lower downwardly inclined lower wall 32 of the inlet neck 28, the wall 32 terminating above the outlet l2 for delivery of and the inner end being rectangular to extend horizontally across the mouth of the neck frame 28. The pipe 35' receives water-from any suitable source, as for example a tank (not shown). in which a constant water head is maintained by suitable regulating means.

A gate plate 35 extends across the trough to form a continuation of the raw material guid wall 29, the plate being hinged at the upper corner of the neck frame 28 as by means of trunnion supports 31, the plate terminating a distance above the front end of the trough bottom 3! to leave the throat'or passage 38.

The deflector plate may be strengthened by depending sideflanges 33 which may receive the trunnion supports 31. Intermediate the ends of theplate a shaft 40 extends through the flanges and is received at its ends by links 4| supported by the side walls of the trough. The links may be secured by screws or bolts 42 extending through longitudinal slots 48 in thelinks so that the links are adjustable for desired setting of the plate 36,

" and gauging of the throat 38.

The shaft 40 at its outer ends pivots bars 44 and these bars support a deflector plate 45 which extends between the shaft 40 and the lower end of the bars and is interposed in the path of the water flow through the neck frame 28. At their upper ends the bars 44 connect with links 46 seemed to the trough sides by bolt and slot connection so as to be adjustable for movement of the bars 44 for the desired setting of the deflector plate 45. The plate 85 forms a gate in the path of the water flow through the neck frame, the shaft 40 being closer to the inner end of the gate plate than to the hinge end, and the portion 36 of the gate plate between its inner end and the deflector plate 45 being imperforate while the portion of the gate plate between its hinged end and the deflector plate 45 is perforated for the flow of water therethrough. The deflector plate 45 deflects part of the incoming water to flow through the perforate gate plate while the rest of the water flows into the trough through the throat 88.

Inserted in the open discharge end of the trough between the side walls thereof is a rectangular discharge chute 41 which extends outwardly through the opening 48 in the, adiacent end wall of the tank Ill. The bottom of the chute forms a continuation of the bottom 3| of the trough, the trough bottom deflecting.gradually diagonally to overlap the diagonally downwardly deflected inner end of the chute bottom, the chute being vertically adjustable for determining the water level in the trough at the discharge end thereof. To effect such adjustment of the chute it may be secured to the side walls of the trough by means of bolts 48 extending through slots 50 inthe chute sides. To prevent leakage of water between the chute bottom and the bottom' of the opening 48 in the tank' a seal plate 5| is mounted on the tank end below the opening 48 and is adjustable vertically to follow the adjustment of the chute; Thecleaned coal is discharged with the water through the chute", and below the chute end a conveyor housing 52'is located. The housing has the perforated cross-wall 58 across which suitable conveyor structure 54 travels, this conveyor structure carrying away the cleaned coal and the water flowing through the perforated wall 58 to be discharged through the outlet 55.

The bottom of the chute 41 is adistance above the trough bottom and at its inner end the chute bottom is preferably deflected upwardly to provides. sill or dam 58 over which the water and chute which is of flow through the trough to the discharge end thereof while the heavier refuse particles will tend to settle to the inclined trough bottom 8! where, due to the reciprocation of the trough, they are urged and propelled toward the neck structure 28 for flow down the wall 32 to the conveyor H. In order to keep the refuse particles away from the side comers of the chute where the resistance to travel is greater, I preferably gradually incline or curve the sides of the trough bottom so that the refuse particles will tend to move toward the center line of the bottom on their downward flow toward the discharge conveyor i4. As shown the main or inner portion of the trough bottom may be flat and of triangular shape with the apex terminating at the discharge wall 82, and the side portion 3| gradually curved laterally. The refuse particles will therefore be urged toward the center line of the trough bottom and through for assisting in stratiflcation and separation of the coal and refuse matter.

Describing now the operation, the water in the tank l0 tends to maintain a level determined by the height of the upper edges of the side walls of the discharge chute 41, and the water in the tank is static except for agitation thereof caused by the reciprocation of the trough. The water which is discharged horizontally into the neck frame 38 by the nozzle structure}! under a pressure determined by the head in the water supply tank, flows partly diagonally upwardly above the deflector plate 45 and through the perforated portion of the gate plate 88 .and through the coal mass which travelsdownwardly from the wall 29 and across the gate plate, the water deflected below the plate 45 flowing through the throat 38 longitudinally into the trough above the bottom thereof, the combined water flow being then" toward the discharge chute 41. The direction and proportion of the two streams of water can be regulated by adjustment of the gate plate and thedeflector plate.

the flow of water into.

Some of the water charged in through the nozzle structure will flow down the neck frame 28 into the tank l0 for maintaining the supply in the tank. The trough. is partially submerged in the water in the tank l0 and the water entering the trough under pressure from the discharge nozzle structure 33 streams through the trough and may escape over the bottom of the discharge course at a lower level than the upper edgesof the chute sides which determine the level .in the tank I0, and consequently there will be a greater hydraulic head in the tank than in the trough with the difference in head increasing toward the discharge chute. This difference in head will cause upward flow of water into the trough through the perforated bottom thereof which water Joins the two streams from the inlet neck 28. Such upward flow of water through the perforated trough bottom continues whether the trough be stationary or is reciprocated. During reciprocation of the trough and consequent displacement thereby of the water in the tank It, the pulsion or downward movement component will cause additional flow upwardly through the perforated bottom, the total upward flow through the bottom being then equal to the sum of the flow caused by the difference in hydraulic head and the pulsion flow? On the suction or upward movement component of the trough the resultant downward flow of water through the perforated bottom is equal,

to the difference between the constant upward flow caused by the dlfierence in hydraulic head and the suction or recession flow due to the upward movement of the trough. I

The raw coal flowing from the chute to is spread out in an even layer along the guide wall Ed by the vibrating movement of the trough and as the coal travels along the perforate portion of the gate plate 36, the diagonal streams through the perforations will dilate the coal bed and start the gravity separation of clean coal and refuse matter assisted by the buoyant efiect of the water. The agitated mass then continues along the imperforate end of the gate plate and is met by the stream of water flowing in through the neck frame below the deflector plate 65. By this time a considerable part of the refuse matter in the coal mass has settled to a lower level or on the gate plate and such refuse mass will drop oil of the end oi the plate and toward the bottom of the trough. The stream coming through the throat 38 is directed longitudinally toward the discharge end of the trough and slightly upwardly and the dilation or Stratification of the mas continues, the lighter clean coal tending to float and flow with the stream while the heavier refuse particles keep on sinking to the bottom plate so that at the discharge end near the darn or sill 56 only clean coal will flow over for discharge through the chute ill.

The dilation of the mass is intensified by the spurts of water upwardly through the bottom of the trough as the trough is vibrated and the vibration of the trough imparts movement to the refuse matter thereon in a direction reverse to that of the stream flow, such imparted motion in addition to the force of gravity causing the refuse material to continually flow toward and down the bottom wall 32 of the inlet frame 2%, the refuse matter being then carried away by the conveyor structure is. The curved side or dished portion 3i of the trough bottom tends to urge the refuse matter toward the longitudinal center line of thebottom so that the material will be kept out of the corners and will be more evenly distributed at the throat 3% so as not to interfere with or disturb the inward flow of water through the throat. By proper adjustment of the gate plate and deflector plate and the outlet chute ti the desired relative volumes of flow through the various paths can be readily obtained. By adjustment of the suspension linkage the proper vibratory movement of the trough can be obtained'and the rate of vibration would be governed by the speed of the electric motor.

The comparatively static water in the tank it will act as a seal at the juncture of the water inlet nozzle structure 33 and the inlet frame it so that as this inlet frame vibrates with the trough and relative to the nozzle structure the flow of the water from the neck frame into the trough will not be materially disturbed. As the trough vibrates the flow through' the perforations of the gate plate will be more or less in the nature of pulsion and recession, depending upon emcient operation would result with the bottom imperiorate. It is evident that my improved structure can be emciently used for the separation of ore from gangue or for efiecting separation or washing of other materials.

I have shown a practical and efficient embodiment of the various features of my invention but I do not desire to be limited to the exact construction, arrangement and operation shown and described as changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a trough having. an outlet at one end, means for feeding the raw material to be separated to the other end of said trough, said trough having an inlet neck below the material feed in point, a nozzle structure for directing water under pressure into said inlet neck, means in said neck dividing the water flow into two streams. one stream flowing upwardly through the charged in mass and then rearwardly to the trough outlet and the other stream flowing directly toward the outlet, said trough having a bottom sloping downwardly toward said inlet neck, and means for subjecting said trough to combined longitudinal and vertical reciprocation for effecting travel of the heavier particles of the mass along the trough bottom toward said inlet neck and the water stream carrying outlet.

2, in apparatus of the class described, a trough having an outlet at its rear end, an inclined cross wall at the front end of said trough for the lighter material to said guiding fed in material gradually downwardly into the trough and toward the outlet end and terminating above the trough bottom to leave a throat, said bottom sloping gradually downwardly toward the front end oi the trough, an inlet neck for said trough at the trout end thereof below said wall and communicating with said throat, means for directing water under pressure into said neck, a deflector plate extending from said wall into said neck, the wall above said deflector being perforate, said deflector dividing the incoming water into two streams with one stream flowing through said throat and toward the trough outlet and the other stream flowing first through the wall per forations and through the mess travelingalong said well for eflecting a preliminary stratification and separation of the lighter and heavier particles, the water stream tending to carry the lighter particles toward said outlet but the heavier particles tending to settle to the trough bottom for movement by gravity along the bottorn out through said throat, and means for reciprocatlng said trough to facilitate stratiiicatlon and separation and to impart direct movement to said heavier particles for travel thereof through said throat.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a water tank, a trough suspended in said tank and having an outlet to the exterior of the tank, means for feeding raw material to said trough at the front end thereof, a water inlet at the front of said trough, means for directing a said trough toward the trough-outlet, means divetting a portion 01 said stream to primarily below the fed in material.

' flow upwardly through the material at the front toward the trough bottom. said trough bottom being perforate, an

outlet from said tank at a the outlet of said trough point higher than in hydraulic heads in said whereby the difference tank and trough will cause upward flow of water from the tank through the perforate bottom to assist in stratiflcation and separation of the particles. and means for receiving the heavier particles from said bottom.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a water tank having an outlet at one'end, atrough suspended in said water tank and having its outlet adjacent the tank outlet, means for charging raw material into said trough at the front end thereof. means for guiding said material into the trough. a water inlet for said trough means for directing a stream of water under pressureinto said inlet to flow through said material and toward the trough outlet and tending to carry the lighter particles through said outlet, the bottom of said trough being perforate and sloping downwardly to communicate with said water inlet, said tank outlet being at a higher level than said trough outlet whereby the difference in hydraulic heads will cause upward flow of water from said tank through said perforate bottom to assist in stratiflcation and separation of the lighter and heavier particles, the heavier particles tending to settle to the trough bottom and to flow down said bottom and out through the water inlet, and means for reciprocating said trough to cause water flow impulses upwardly through the perforate bottom thereof and for imparting additional movement to the heavier particles for faster travel thereof along the inclined bottom.

5. Apparatus for the separation of the heavier and lighter particles in a mass of material, comprislngan elongated trough having at one end an inlet for the material to. be separated and neck, and means an outlet at its other end, said trough having a water inlet neck below the material inlet, a nozzle for directing water into said inlet neck for flow longitudinally through said trough, deflector means in said inlet neck for deflecting part of the water to flow first upwardly through the fed in material separation a bottom of the material, said trough having sloping downwardly toward said inlet for vibrating said trough in a direc -on to cause its sloping bottom to impel through said inlet neck and with the water flow carrying the lighter material to and through the trough outlet.

e. In apparatus of the class described, atrougn having an outlet at one end, means for feeding the raw material to be separated to the other end of said trough. neck below the material feeding point. a nozzle structure for directing water. under pressure into said inlet neck, means in-said neck dividing the water flow into streams with one stream flowing upwardly through the charged in mass and then rearwardly to the trough outlet and the other stream flowing directly 'into and lonv ing means in said streams with one stream flowing upwardly 'masswillsettleto for a preliminary stratiflcation and,

said trough having an inlet mosaic? gltudinally through the trough towards theoutlet. said trough having a bottom sloping downwardly toward said inlet neck whereby the heavier particles of the mass will settle to and flow along the trough bottom towards said inlet neck and the water stream carrying the lighter material to the outlet.

'7. In apparatus of the 'class described. atrough having an outlet at one end, means for feeding the raw material to beseparated to the other end of said trough. said trough having an inlet neck at one end below the material feeding point. noasle structure for directing water under pressure into said inlet neck. adjustable divertneck dividing the water into through the charged in'mass and then rearwardly along the trough to said outlet and another stream flowing directly into and through said trough towards said outlet. said trough having a bottom--- sloping downwardly toward said inlet neck whereby the heavier particles of the and travel along the trough bottom into and out of said inlet neck and the water stream carrying the lighter material to said outlet.

. 8. In apparatus of the class described, a trough having an outlet at one end. means for feeding the raw material to be separated to the other end of said trough, said trough having an inlet neck below the material feeding point, a perforate guide wall in the upper end of said neck for-guiding the fed in material towards the bottom of said trough. an adjustable diverter wall extending from said perforate wall within said neck and toward the inlet end thereof, nozzle structure for directing water under pressure into said inlet neck, said diverter wall acting to dividethe water flow into two streams with one stream flowing above the diverter wall and through said perforate guide wall for preliminary stratiflcation and separation of the lighter and heavier particles and the other stream flowingbelow said diverter wall directly into said trough and longitudinally thereof toward said outlet, said trough having a bottom sloping downwardly toward said inlet neck whereby the heavier particles will settle to and, travel along the trough bottom and into said inlet neck. and the lighter particles will be carried by the water flow to said outlet.

9. In apparatus of the class described, a water tank. a trough ing an outlet to the interior of the tank. means for feeding raw material to said trough at the front end thereof. a water inlet at the front of directing a stream of said trough. means for water under pressure to said inlet to flow through said trough towards the trough outlet whereby the lighter particle: will travel with the water flow to said outlet Qd the heavier particles will tend to sew: to the bottom of said trough. said trough being perforate. an outlet from said tank at a point higher than tits out.- let r said trough whereby the difference in nydraulic heads in said tank and trough will cause upward flow of water from the tank through the perforate bottom to assist in stratiflcation and separation of the particles. and means for receiving the heavier particles from said bottom.

grass rams.

suspended in said tank and hav- 

